The Chains of Servitude
by Anony-Coon
Summary: When your world is shattered, picking up the pieces isn't easy. Putting them back together is even harder; if you want them put back at all. AP: Events through most of book 5, Voldemort defeated, Everyone alive and well.
1. The Servitude

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and make no money from this fan-based fiction.

A/N: This is something that came to mind with a very strong order ti write it, thus I listened.

=/\=

"Harry, would you please get me some tea." Sitting at his solid, antique Ebony desk, Sirius didn't life his head form the papers that were piled in front of him, the magical quill furiously writing his every thought. He was writing a book. A book, to be more accurate, about his time in and escape from Azkaban. Sirius had no time to spare to neither make tea nor carry out household chores nor any of that other time-wasting mundane stuff.

Harry knew this. "Of course," he answered with a smile that would have blinded had anyone been looking. But Sirius was fully concentrating on his manuscript.

Harry knew this. And that was ok, he reflected, silently wishing his God-father the best on his book. He was nearly to the kitchens when a soft alarm sounded, alerting him to the arrival of guests. Quickly casting a spell that would start the tea for him, Harry redirected his course to the front door, once again glad that he'd respelled the alarm to only sound to him, keeping Sirius from being bothered by such things. As he made his way, he lit lamps and candles. No need for guests to adjust to the darkness that normally shrouded the inside of the Black Manor.

With the rooms and halls well lit, the manor was quite breathtaking; it's dark wood and grey marble floors shining warmly and the stone walls dust free all the way to the richly made ceiling. Subtle decorations, rich and flowing fabrics, and traditional paintings understated the family's wealth, but not greatly. That's what the Black's were: wealthy beyond measure yet sublet enough to blend into the shadows of society. Their manor reflected that well.

Pulling open the large Mahogany entrance doors, Harry peeked out, hand on wand. They had never had visitors before and it was better to be cautious. But you don't want to be discourteous, a voice floated from the back of his mind, you don't want to shame the house.

_Of course I don't,_ Harry responded to…himself…he wasn't sure. But now was not the time to think of such things.

"I apologize for the wait, we were not expecting guests today," he greeting adding "Lord Malfoy" when he saw who it was he kept waiting. Opening the door further, Harry led Lord Malfoy, his son, and three others that he did not recognize to the formal sitting room, the fireplace lighting itself the instant they stepped inside. Once he saw that everyone was comfortably seated, Harry summoned the tea that had been made by his magic, along with extra cups. "Sirius is currently in his study, but I'll go get him know that you've arrived."

The elder Malfoy raised a perfectly curious brow, "Sirius?"

"Oh, I apologize, Lord Black. I'll just go get him." Harry scurried out of the room. He'd forgotten the rules of the high-class.

Rule 14: Never address one informally in the presence of others, no matter what your relationship is.

As Harry thought, Sirius was still hard at work. "Umm...Sirius?"

"What?" he snapped before realizing who was calling him. "Sorry, Harry. What is it?"

"You have guests. I've put them in the formal sitting room closest to the Main Hall."

Sirius let the magical quill stop, leaning back in his plush chair. "I see. Did you give them tea?"

Harry nodded that he had.

"Good. I'll go speak to them than. You can just continue with whatever you were doing."

=/\=

Sirius was not happy to be interrupted. Interruptions wasted time and enough of his time had already been wasted in Azkaban and he certainly had not invited guest over. His irritation raised another notch when he entered the sitting room and spotted Lucius, elegantly sipping tea.

"Lucius, how _pleasant_ to see you today," He noticed that the younger demon spawn was not present. "Mind telling me what you need so I can kick you out?"

"I am here on official business concerning one Harry Potter. Servitude does fit him well, if I may say- Pity that he is a powerful, high class wizard and _not_ a House Elf." Lucius sent a hauntingly placid glance to the Marauder. "However, you seem to have not noticed." "What are you on about, Death Eater!" Sirius growled. "Harry is my God-son. Of course he's not a House Elf." "And yet you cast a servitude spell on him without prior consent. Aurors, please arrest this man for Improper Use of Magic. We shall wait for my son to retrieve Mr. Potter." Sirius had no time to move as the three Aurors struck, knocking him out and dissipating his magic, sending a shock through the surrounding area.

=/\=

Harry went back to the kitchens, which were split into several rooms- one for cool foods, hot foods, storage, wine, and the main kitchen where most snacks and drinks were made. It was nearing lunchtime and something had to be made. _Would be helpful to know whether the guests are staying for lunch though…_

Harry decided, just in case, to make extra. Soupwould be best, he noticed as he looked around the large, walk-in pantry. He didn't do the shopping for another day and the manor's food stores were running low. Yes, soup would be best.

Through the sounds of the stead chopping of vegetables, Harry didn't notice the addition of another body in the kitchen.

"Do you often to the cooking here?"

Harry jumped and just barely missed chopping his own finger off in the process. Spinning around he was Lord Malfoy's son, Draco, leaning idly against one of the main kitchen's stone walls, pinning Harry with an instance silver glare.

"I-of course."

"Why?"

"Well…Sir- I mean Lord Black is busy and I'm used to cooking. I do not really dislike the task anyways."

"I see. What else do you do around the manor?"

"The usual stuff I guess. Household stuff that needs to be done." Harry couldn't understand why he was getting questioned so. Maybe he'd done something wrong? Accidently insulted the Malfoy line? He searched the younger Malfoy's eyes but there was no answer found in them. No hate or anger, but no answer either.

Suddenly, a small force burst through the manor, making Harry glad he'd put down the knife, and Draco smiled. "Well then, we should be going. _Dormius_!" He caught the now sleeping Harry before he could hit the ground, glaring angrily at the air before him as he walked to the Main Hall.

=/\=

R&R so I know if I should give into the next order to write from this plot-bunny.


	2. Explinnations

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor any plots or devices from the books or movies. This fan-made story is making no profit.

=\/=

_The night was young when Harry woke, the smells of sterile air and pungent potions instantly telling signs of the Hospital Wing. Twilight shone through the thin drapes around his bed. His body was encased in a buzzing numbness as his mind wandered. He'd gone for The Battle. He remembered that. Everyone had been with him to get the prophecy but…there had been fighting all around, and then… 'What happened…'_

"_And so, you'll be staying with Sirius at the Black Manor and return here in the fall for your 6__th__ year." Albus Dumbledore's eyes gleamed happily and Fawkes crooned in the background. "Harry, we, the Wizarding World, cannot thank you enough for what you have done. I wish you the best happiness and look forward to your return to these halls for next year."_

"_Thank you, Headmaster." Harry responded, lowering his head to hide his embarrassment at being addressed with such a speech. He hadn't done anything special. The prophecy simply played through. And now…he looked over to his God-father, beaming at him from the doorway, it was a dream to final be free from the Dursleys. It had been a mere fantasy to get to live with his God-father, and now, now he could. "Thank you."_

"_WAKE THE FUCK UP, POTTER!"_

Draco jumped from the edge of the bed where he had been shaking Harry, calling his name, trying anything to wake him up for the past 15 minutes. But now, finally, he was awake. Sitting straight up and staring around the room with unfocused eyes, feeling at the soft sheets around him uncomprehendingly.

"Potter?"

The emerald eyes focused on him. "Malfoy? What…?"

"I must say, I had no idea anyone could react so badly to a simple sleep spell. We were sure you weren't going to wake up." Draco took a step back, snapping for a House Elf. One instantly arrived, dressed in a clean, white shift.

"Yes, Master?" it said, raising its large eyes to look hopefully for an order which Draco gladly gave.

"Retrieve some cloths and prepare a bath and food for Mr. Potter." The elf popped away. Harry understood zero of what was going on around him. Why was Malfoy here? Where was _here_? Most of all though, what in the world had happened? There was a large window leading out onto a picturesque terrace and it was clearly winter outside. But just yesterday it had clearly been summer…letting his head fall into his hands, Harry pushed it all away. It made no sense.

"Oh no. You're not allowed to hide, orders from up high." Draco pulled Harry from the bed, "a bath is ready, and everything will be explained later."

Harry didn't comprehend anything that Malfoy said until he was shoved, cloths and all, into a steaming tub, large enough for at least 4 grown men. He heard a snap behind him and turning saw a House Elf holding a large woven basket of washing supplies.

"Take care of him, and when he's done see him down to the Master Office."

"Yes, Master."

After that, Malfoy disappeared and it was a flurry of scrubbing and rinsing and repeating till Harry was sure his skin must have fallen off a few cycles back. Dragged out of the water and toweled down, the House Elf-who grudgingly introduced herself as Abby-than preceded to hand feed him the plate of oatmeal and fruit that had appeared next to the bed. Harry would have protested between the bite of food but his mind was still too fuzzy, though the bath had certainly helped clear it a bit and by the time he'd been led to what the Abby called the Master Office and seated thoughts had stopped hiding under a haze. _Master Office….why would anyone need a Master Office…_Harry wondered, taking in the blatant grandness of the room. The carpet was a plush emerald green and the walls were paneled with light, richly grained wood that Harry didn't recognize. He'd never had much education on manors and such; it all seemed so absurd- having such large houses.

Against one side of the room was a large, meticulously organized desk. Opposite were two leather sofas, one on which Harry had been sat to wait, arranged around a simple glass coffee table edged in tarnished silver. There were no light fixtures, leaving Harry to assume that the light was from a magical source, and the walls, while lacking any paintings or decorations, did have full bookshelves pleasingly placed along it.

The one door-made of the same mystery wood as the rest of the room- opened, revealing Lucius, Draco, Minister Shacklebolt, Auror Moody, and- much to Harry's surprise and delight-, Auror Tonks. Harry was momentarily fazed by their attendance before Tonks broke though that with a hug that his spine strongly detested.

"Oh, Harry! I'm so sorry this happened. I-I can't believe I never noticed! This is all my fault, if I had only visited or-or _something_. Merlin, I'm so sorry…"

"Tonks, it's great to see you and all…but…what are you on about?"

Tonks pulled herself away from harry, taking hold of his shoulders and studied his confused eyes. "You really don't remember anything, do you?"

Moody snorted from where he stood, "we told you he wouldn't."

"Shut it one-eye." Tonks snapped. "Harry, what is the last thing you remember?"

"W-What? Remember?" Tonks nodded. "I see, well, it was defiantly not all _wintery _outside. It was summer, umm…let's see…I'd moved in with Sirius. Where is he by the way? I thought he would be somewhere around."

"He's busy," Lucius cut in, "Continue please, Mr. Potter."

"There wasn't much. End of school. Moved in and went to sleep. Woke up here two seasons later…apparently. What's this about?" Tonks had let go of him, resigning herself to stand sadly against a bookshelf while Moody and the others looked as if they'd know what he would say all along. He silently watched as Lucius dismissed the Aurors, leading Draco and himself to the second sofa and ordering tea from a House Elf. The room filled with a worryingly heavy scalene, only broken by the popping of the House Elf and the soft clinging of tea being served.

There must be a reason that he was here. Had something happened at the Ministry? Was Voldemort back? _No, that's not possible_, Harry quickly interjected, _I killed him. He is defiantly __**not**__ coming back. Ever._

Harry could feel a headache starting.

"Mr. Potter," Harry's attention jumped to Lucius, who placed his tea cup down with elegant practice. "Do you have any notion to as why you are here?"

"Only guesses…but they aren't exactly appealing." He answered honestly.

"I apologize for leaving in such an unknown state; however, I do hope to help, though it is not good news."

Remembering Tonk's reaction earlier Harry asked, "It has something to do with Sirius doesn't it? That much is pretty obvious."

"You are quite observant, but yes, it has much to do with Sirius Black." Lucius confirmed. "You see, it seems that Azkaban did more damage than anyone knew, or could even tell I'm afraid. He became delusional and self-absorbed, quite true to his title as a Marauder. In effect, he cursed you with a Servitude Curse, though we have yet to find out why he used this particular curse. Black did a very good job of it, layered a Memory Charm and a House Binding Charm in it so as to keep away suspicion and to avoid notice. It was effective; in fact, if Draco hadn't needed to find you I doubt anyone would have ever noticed at all."

Harry just stared into his tea. There were no leaves in it to foretell his death, he noticed. Maybe the lack of leaves meant something too, though Professor Trelawney would probably still foresee death. "The lack of anything includes life, you poor dear," he could almost hear her saying in a mournful voice. That's what she would say.

What did Lucius say? A spell…no, a curse. Servitude, Memory, House Binding? What did that mean anyways? He'd said something else too. Sirius was delusional form Azkaban. That's what he had said, but then, half of the Wizarding World was delusional. Self-absorbed…was that supposed to be a read mental diagnosis? "What does this all mean?" Harry's thought pushed out of his mouth.

Still lost in his tea cup he heard Lucius try to explain, "The spells made you a servant of House Black, or, more specifically, Sirius Black. The Servitude Spell is something that is put on House Elves only if they agree to it and draw a signed Document of Rights for the family to consider. To use such a spell without a Document of Rights makes it a Curse rather than a spell. According to what you recall, the curse was used the very first night of your stay in the Black Manor."

"So that's…"

"About 6 months. Today is December 28th. The school was tricked by Sirius, which is why no one looked for you earlier."

"6 months….of what amounts to slavery that I don't remember…from my God-father. I see."

"Pot- Harry," Draco was watching him now with dangerously watery silver eyes, "my father is right, Azkaban did damage that no one could see and there will be a trial soon. Until then, we've gotten permission for you to live here. I'll be taking care of you."

_Taking care of,_ Harry though,_ do they think I'm sick or something?_

He missed Lucius' sharp look to his son, "What Draco means to say, is that you will live here as a part of the family and we will be seeing to your needs. I have given my son the privilege of helping you adapt and learn what is needed till you both return to Hogwarts. Both of you will also be tutored so you don't miss anything, but that is most defiantly a discussion for another time." He vanished the tea with a flick of his wrist. "Draco, please escort Harry to his new rooms. I will see you both in the morning." And then he left, the air around him radiating a thoughtful anger, though Harry could tell that it was directed at someone far away from the Master Office.

=\/=

A/N: So, I hope that help clear up some questions about time, year, and age. Both Harry and Draco would be 16 at this point, seeing as the 6th year has already started (and is indeed near half way over).

I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Review and a big thank you to everyone that has!


	3. Looking for Mind's Peace

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. This includes its characters, plot, and situations.

=\/=

Draco rubbed his ears- and eyes for good measure-, not sure he had heard Harry properly. "I-I'm sorry, could you please repeat that?"

"I would like to see Sirius."

_So I did hear properly the first time…_Draco met Harry's eyes, the emerald orbs glowing with conviction created from two weeks of thinking and requested isolation. There would be no deterring him, and even though Draco always knew that it was always only a matter of time before this request made itself known, he didn't like it, but he also knew there was nothing he could do about it. Harry was Harry: an infuriatingly determined, idiotically brave, and yet somehow Slytherin-worthily sly Gryffindork for life.

Besides, Lucius had foreseen this. "Potters were never foolishly trusting," he had said the very night before, "Harry is no different. There is no reason why he should believe us and he'll ask for proof. Draco, you cannot deny him that right unless you want him to vanish." He was right; Harry only had their word, a Malfoy's word, to go on: and everyone knows that you can't trust a Malfoy.

Harry knew the mantra well too. For the first 5 years of school it had been said in the halls, classrooms, dorms, and especially the Great Hall by everyone. _Everyone in Gryffindor at least_, Harry corrected himself, _and we know how well our Houses got along._ It wasn't that the Malfoy's did anything to lose trust, in fact, they did everything Harry was sure they never would. If one squinted a bit, one could mistake the Malfoy's for a richer, blonder Weasley family. Behind the Manor's high walls, there was joking and playing and an abundance of love that no sane Wizard would ever believe.

Even though Harry had spent the better part of two weeks hidden in his new rooms, everything the family felt for each other seemed to extend to him too. He knew this, could feel it, yet…could he really trust them? People had played larger, more elaborate acts at a chance to harm him. Was it really so far a stretch to think that maybe the _Malfoys_ were doing the same? The only friend Harry had seen yet was Tonks, and that was only for a short while. It would be easy to create stories inside of such an isolated setting.

The longer Harry stared into Draco's silver eyes the more he knew that he needed to _know._ If a child tells a lie about not skipping class, ask the teachers. If someone tells you a tale about your time with a God-parent, ask the God-parent.

"I see," Draco dropped his gaze from Harry's, "I'm sure it won't be a problem." He picked up a nearby potions book he'd been studying before, trying to refind his lost page. It would help distract him from whatever his brain might imagine as an outcome of visiting Black.

It didn't matter wither way though, when Harry voice cut through the chant of potion pages.

"Would…would it be possible to do it today?" Harry was looking down, chewing randomly at his thumb. "I-I don't want to have time to convince myself not to do this. I need to do this." Catching Draco's eye, he himself wasn't sure if he'd stated his mind or asked a question. Maybe both.

"I think," Draco started, taking time to find the words, "I think that it could help you, however there's no way to know till it happens. I'll talk to my father." He watched as Harry nodded after a moment's hesitation and proceeded back to his own rooms to hide for just a little longer.

=/\=

Harry was glad that he'd gone ahead and asked Malfoy about visiting Sirius because within an hour of being in his rooms he wanted anything but to confront the man. What if they were right? What if Sirius was no longer the Sirius he had known? What if…

It didn't matter now.

Permission had been granted and a Portkey was set to activate at Sunday's noon- just a few short hours from now. There was no time for second thoughts. He needed to know who to trust.

His time waiting was spent like all his others in the Malfoy Manor: locked in his rooms with no visitors allowed. It was quiet and lonely, but it was the only way Harry could manage to think straight. If the Malfoys were around-they'd spent the first week trying to get him out and about before he politely asked to be left alone- his thought were always in overdrive, looking for signs of Dark Magic or traps. Whenever people tried to visit him, Harry would find himself mentally panicking.

No, he needed to stay alone to think. Though…whether the thoughts were worth anything he didn't yet know. They were jumbled and cut up, linking together into his own personal Gordian's Knot. He could go on picking at it forever.

"You don't have time for this," Harry quietly reminded himself. A quick _Tempus_ showed 11:37 am. The Portkey would activate soon and he needed to be there when it did.

Picking himself up from the large bed he'd been brooding on, he straightened his old casual robes. They were plain black and a bit worn at the edged, but they were his, they were safe. Only once his wand was discreetly stowed in his sleeve did he leave for the Entrance Hall, where the Portkey waited.

Through his weeks of hiding, Harry had missed the splendor of the Manor. The floors of various rare and beautifully grained woods or marble of gleaming opulence cushioned your footfalls as well as the plushest of carpets. Walls and ceilings covered in only the most lavish art and fabrics, spelled to artful perfection. Full length windows opened to picturesque terraces and balconies, bathed in ivy and blooming flora from all seasons.

Even the way that the halls wrapped around to connect rooms and courtyards was pleasing, somehow soothing. There was something else in the Manor too; in the air. It spoke to the far recesses of one's mind, swaying the conscious to relax, to slow down, to just _be_.

Harry hadn't noticed any of it, and, by the way it air swept into his mind with the force of an undaunted hurricane, it noticed his lack of attention. He could feel his body loosen as he walked further. Even when his wand buzzing let him know that it was uncomfortably close to noon, he felt no need to quicken his steps. Somehow, he knew, the halls themselves would not let him be late.

And they didn't. The halls twisted and stretched to his destination, letting him walk calmly into the Main Hall just as noon struck, the house coming alive with the soft, resounding chimes of variously placed clocks.

Just as he entered, so did Lucius and Draco, both dressed in elegantly simple black robes, both traditional and somber. Their matching white-blond hair and molten mercury eyes brought out dazzlingly by the deep black. If he weren't already so accustom to older, more worn clothing, Harry would have felt more like a street beggar than a guest.

"Are you ready, Mr. Potter?" Lucius spoke quietly as the chimes faded from the air. Harry nodded once and was immediately presented with the Portkey; a small rubber band held in Lucius' outstretched hand. He took the hand and closed his eyes against the pulling that drew him out and away from the kind beauty of the Manor.

Seconds later, Harry found himself standing- albeit with a small stumble- in a well lit room cluttered with seemingly comfortable pieces of furniture that failed to hide the darkness of where they were.

This was Azkaban.

"Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Potter," Harry's attention was drawn to a squatish man dressed in overly embroidered navy robes sitting behind a desk barely accessible due to an overflow of papers and folders it carried, "Welcome to Azkaban. I'll trust you had a good commute, sirs, and get to business." The man's murky blue eyes fixed on Harry. "Your meeting with Mr. Sirius Black shall commence under guarded supervision in a magic-free zone in 15 minutes."

At this, Lucius stepped forward, "I do believe it is inappropriate for Mr. Potter, the victim, from his Magics while meeting with such a person as Mr. Black."

"You may think that, but this is my prison. No Magic. I do not want a lawsuit form either party. My secretary will show you to the meeting room. Mr. Fleg!" he bellowed.

A small, hurried looking man stumbled into the office. "Yes, Mr. Nortry, what can I do for you?"

"Show these _sirs_ to meeting room 7. Make sure guards are posted and no Magics are allowed."

"Yes, sir."

Striding out of the office, Mr. Fleg motioned for everyone to follow him. "I do apologize for Nortry, he can be rather…overbearing of his position here," he said as they walked, each corroded darker and more morbid feeling than the last. Harry felt as if his feet were protesting against him, getting heavier with each step, but he tried to just be happy that no Dementors were around.

"Ah, here we are, room 7. Now let me just do a quick sweep…"

Everyone was lightly frisked in a showy but utterly ineffective way to find dangerous objects that may or may not be on their persons. Harry's wand wasn't even close to being found; not that it mattered. They were each given rings that temporarily bound their magical abilities.

It took no more than a minute and Harry was led, alone, into room 7, bare except for a single, long table and two bolted down chairs. Guards stood just outside of the room where they could easily see the exchange to make up for not being allowed to hear it, which Harry was thankful for.

And then, with only a small, clear chime, the 15 minutes were up. Harry felt disjoined from the opening door. There were two outcomes from this, he knew, nothing he did now would change them. Steadying himself, he lifted his head to watch as the man he'd saved from the high tower joined him in the room, and he knew instantly.

It was his walk. Every movement of his body was greased with a quiet insanity, a waiting deadliness. His feet slid across the stone floor. His body glided after him. And his eyes; they blazed darkly.

Harry knew then.

This was not his God-father.

This was not the man he rescued from the tower nor the one that smiled gleefully from his family's photo album.

This was who the world always thought of when they heard the name: Sirius Black.

=\/=

"Hello, Harry, I do hope you're doing well. Weasley's treating you well- you are staying with them aren't you?" It was so nonchalant, the way he spoke of everyone. As if calling from vacation to check up on things. Something about his voice infuriated Harry, he didn't even know why. _I guess my mind has already called judgment. If so…._

"You don't get to call me Harry anymore." He whispered into the room, his voice coming out as an angry hiss though he did his best to keep his face from showing anything.

"Oh?" Sirius leaned back in his chair, "Than what shall I call you if not by your name?"

"Nothing; you do not get to call me anything. It would be best if you didn't talk at all unless it's to answer a question." _I had a plan_ _didn't I…_, Harry thought, _what was it? _But he couldn't seem to remember, there was too much buzzing in his head. He couldn't think of anything but the buzzing and one question that had been echoing in his head for weeks. "Why did you do it?"

"Me?" Sirius answered, looking faithfully innocent, "Do what?"

Harry's eyes shot up to meet his, the room was dead silent, growing heavier by the moment. Sirius looked around as the hairline-cracks mapped their way through the walls, his grey eyes looking more and more amused with each one he spotted.

"Well, my my, you did always have power in you. Not much control either." A fissure tore through the table. "Fine. You couldn't figure it out by now, I'll tell you. You are a Potter. I am a Black. You are and always have been a threat to my line. And like a good little hero you couldn't just die in the war. No, of course not. So, it's easy from there. I decided to use you, to force you into the Black family's servitude where would not only not be a danger, but you would serve." He threw his head back and laughed as if he'd been waiting forever to do so. Minutes passed before he calmed down enough to continue talking, a sinister grin plastered on his face. "Really, it was quite brilliant. I was able to stay on the winning side no matter what and get what I wanted in the end. Didn't quite work out, but who ever thought that the Malfoys of all people would come to your rescue with the Ministry? Though, in all honesty, it was worth it if only for the irony of it all, really it was."

That was enough. Harry had his answer. It was time to leave this.

"Oh, and Harry," the deranged singsong voice followed Harry to the door, "do get a check on that temper of yours."

The door slammed as the table ripped itself apart, falling to the cold stone floor with a _crack_. The guards and Malfoys alike kept some space between themselves and the quietly seething Harry as he quickly made to leave. There was nothing more for him in this awful place.

=\/=

A/N: The next chapters are going to be longer, as everything is now planned out. I'd say about 6 or 7 more chapters, though, really, we all know how guesstimates works out.

For now, I hope you enjoyed and thank you SO much to everyone who reviewed! It really did help me write!


	4. A Skewed Hat

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. This includes its characters, plot, and situations.

-\/-

There was a desk in the heart of the Malfoy Manor. It was an old desk and, as Draco pointed out the first time he'd ever seen it, utterly out of style. Its lines were hard and everything about it was just so…square. Never the less, Draco had spent hours at this desk lately, as he did now, because it wasn't the desk that mattered, it was the contents.

There, on the old desk, was a bowl that never moved. It had come with the Malfoy bloodline and at some point in their lives, every Malfoy had paced around it, their eyes snatching nervous glances from it or simply staring into it heavily, sighing as they did. Some of the Malfoy's came out from their visits to the bowl ecstatic, some suicidal. They would throw parties and throw fits.

None of it mattered though, because what was in the bowl was your one and only option. You could, of course, not pursue what was given to you, but that would put the family line at risk to falling. In the end, you _would_ follow what you saw in the bowl.

As for Draco, he wasn't falling to any extreme. He liked what was in the bowl for him, but there was no way in any Hell that he would allow himself to prance around with joy. There was no reason for him to feel depressed by what he saw either. He had decided, years ago, that no matter what he was given, he would wait till it played out to choose a side of emotion.

"Did you expect it to change after what happened today, son?" Lucius discreetly peaked into the bowl beside Draco.

"No, not really. But, better safe and sorry. I was curious."

"As you should be. However, you should not forget what is important now. I believe Mr. Potter is still in his rooms."

"Thanks," with a quick hug, Draco speeded out of the room. The blue liquid in the bowl vibrated with his movement, but the small image in it still showed clearly: a Golden triangle housing a silver circle and split down the center by a black line.

* * *

"Harry?" Draco rapped on the door. No answer. He paced for a bit, tried the door again. "_Harry_?" He stood with hands on hips glaring down the door. The door didn't budge.

_Wait a second, this is my house! Why should I have to scratch at a door hour two hours to get in?_ He reached for the handle, knowing that the manor would let him in, but stopped as his fingers twitched just above the brass knob. Was it really his place to breach Harry's privacy? After all, Harry had told him that he wished to be left alone and asked for their approval as soon as they'd Portkeyed back to the manor …But he was so angry when they left Azkaban. Windows and mirrors had exploded to dust in his presence. The manor's ancient foundation had shaken with an intensity that no natural nor magical disaster had ever been able to cause. There had been occasional rumbles and crashes from his room too, once he'd locked himself inside, but then it had become quiet for the last hour. So maybe he calmed down…

Draco could have slapped himself for overlooking the simple idea that just now popped into his head. He snapped his fingers and a House Elf instantaneously appeared. "I need you to check on Harry, if you would."

The House Elf looked confused at the request, "Does Master think Mr. Potter is in room? Mr. Potter left for underground rooms as to not damage things. He said he not want to bother House Elves with cleanup." It said, sniffing indignantly. "What does he think we for?"

"He hasn't met dutiful House Elves before, only ones that don't want to follow their contract," the elf's eyes widened and it let out an astonished squeak, "Now, you said he was in the underground rooms?"

"Yes, Master."

"That'll be all," Draco sighed as the elf popped away. He would have to go down there than, though it was less than appealing. None of the underground rooms had been used in generations and were mostly for interrogations. _You forget though, what they do, they would be perfect for what he needs_. Draco instinctually went to rub his eyes with his thumb and forefinger, but caught himself. It would do no good to promote wrinkles at his age.

\/\/\/

It was somehow both surprising and yet comfortably expected that the Malfoy's had a large amount of underground rooms. This was the Malfoy's after all, but still, no one could quite prepare themselves to find such a thing.

Yet, Harry was glad that he did.

The rooms were nothing special. In reality it was just a single large, gaping room that had been sectioned off into smaller areas. Everything was native stone, as if the Manor itself had simply been built over a preexisting, very square hole in the earth. It was all very dark too, until Harry magically summoned Fairy Lights which hovered about 15 feet in the air, changing their pastel color every few seconds. The air was damp and held the coolness of the stone. Most importantly, everything was spelled to absorb magic.

And absorb it did, spell after hex after curse after sheer power fits, it absorbed them all until Harry was left panting on the ground, a great deal calmer than he'd started out as.

It wasn't fair that any of this happened, but then, when was anything fair? Harry could hardly think of a single moment that the world had everything nice and balanced. You lost one thing and found another. You help a stranger and a stranger helps you. Nothing ever worked out that way, ever. Sirius whom he had helped time and time again didn't help him back, not once.

Harry saved him.

Harry hid him.

Harry aided him.

Harry helped clear his name.

Harry gave him a life.

Harry loved him.

Fairness was a myth. Something used in Muggle cartoons and stories, something to be told around campfires. It was not something for life. It couldn't possibly be. If it were true than Sirius wouldn't have….no, it just wasn't possible anymore, it wasn't.

Harry had clung to it though, and when he looked deep enough, he could tell that everything he felt, everything he'd flung at the stone, was mostly felt toward himself. It was silly that for weeks he'd avoided the world just so he could try to replace it with his own fantasies. The Malfoy's and all their good will had no place in his world, so he'd blocked them out. Any letters were possible vessels of truth that were condemnable in his mind. But it was all gone now, all the ideas and pictures and fantasies. They were all gone into the stone now. He felt lighter and heavier.

It wasn't fair, but life wasn't fair and he'd fought hard for this life.

_I can do this….I can do this….I can do this…_ Harry repeated his mantra as he picked himself up from the ground and headed for the exit. There was only forward now.

\/\/\/

While the entrance to the underground rooms was not the most comfortable place to wait, Draco couldn't bring himself to complain about it. Not with the intense surges of magic that occasionally blasted through the underground's wards. It made the world spin and his face flush from outside the guarded walls; inside was not a place Draco wanted to be and he was endlessly thankful when the magic finally subdued and Harry surfaced.

"Thank Merlin, what did you do to the stone? I can smell your magic from out here!" Draco informed him, trying not to breathe the scent of autumn winds that Harry was letting off.

"Sorry."

"No sorry needed, I don't mind magic. Did it help any?"

"I…I think it did help some, yeah." Harry noticed the relief on Draco's face almost instantly. "I'm sorry, for breaking some of your house."

"Like I said, no sorry needed and especially not about a few windows. I'm just glad you found something that helped some. It's just…well, you see I just wanted to say that you shouldn't stay so separated…I think is all," he paced down the hall, "I know you went through quite the ordeal back there and you defiantly deserve to be alone, but I just think, is all. It's not really my place but I just thought…is all…."

As he spoke, Harry could almost make out the flustered look that come across his face, but then, at the distance that Draco kept himself, it could have been anything.

_Can I trust them?_ Harry had thought of it before, but his mind had always dragged the thought away and hidden it, yet here it was again. They were a Dark family, but what did that mean? What he'd studied showed it as a freedom of magic and a more realistic and practical view of the world. It seemed like a smart thing.

But Sirius' family was Dark too, and look where that practicality led.

_No_, Harry told himself sternly, _they aren't the Blacks, they rescued you_.

_Ah, but so did Sirius, remember him rescuing you from being without a family? From being alone?_ Harry didn't recognize that voice, but he'd heard it somewhere before. It was dark and slimy. It wasn't his.

"I think you're right, Draco."_ I shouldn't be alone with these thoughts…_

But Draco didn't hear his thoughts yet. "I am? Well, of course I am." His face morphed into the usual Malfoy wall of self-important rectitude, fully recovered from the noticeable lack of articulation he'd shown. "And I'm glad you've noticed it also. Now come on, Harry, I think you could use some comfort food." Without waiting for a protest, Draco grabbed Harry's wrist and took off for the kitchens.

* * *

Hermione Granger hadn't dealt with disobeying much, but now she realized one very simple thing.

Her conscious was a bitch.

It wasn't like she was doing anything wrong per-say. She was just...testing other options. Or maybe it was just ignoring a suggestion. It was, after all, just a suggestion and not an order. "Oh screw it," her voice whispered harshly before her leg kicked open the closet door that she was hiding in and her body half crawled, half tumbled out. Her mind, on the other hand, refused to participate in her own sabotage. And it was sabotage because outside the door was a victorious looking Ronald Weasley.

"I knew you couldn't stay away from a book for a day."

There was no point in arguing with him because there was indeed several books poking her a several painful angles where she had fallen.

"Come on Herms, we're in China! Merlin's sake, how could you not find something to do other than _ read_?"

"I did," she answered pointedly, "I went exploring and found this amazing library on traditional Chinese magic. Oh, you should have seen it, Ron, it was amazing!"

Ron shook his head with barely withheld distaste. "I swear you and books have some sort of magnetic connection or something..."

"Well, I'll have you know that if you plan to marry me you should not only get used to it but help me off this floor while you do so."

Every man knew the _look. _Thatoh so special talent women have that can convey the next five or so years of sex-life to their partner with a single glance. Hermione was no amateur and Ron had her off the ground, dusted off, and her books all safely gathered in his arms before the _look_ turned into reality. "There you are than, dear." he said hastily. "And of course loving books is...well, _you_. I just don't want you to spend all your time with them and not me." As soon as the words were out, Hermione's face softened and she gave a small 'awe', leaving Ron to silently congratulate himself on his quick thinking.

Hermione spun and giggled quietly, "I would never choose books over you. You should know this by now." Pulling him in for a quick, and then a not so quick, kiss, she lifted her books from him and started down to where the rest of the family was sure to be waiting. "Come on than, I heard your mother discussing visiting the 7 Purity Ponds today."

The Purity Ponds were well known for the blessings that new couples could receive from them, and the two hurried down to where the entirety of their family was waiting, not looking as happy as one would expect on a vacation. After a quick side glace to Ron, Hermione was the first one to speak up. "Is everything all right? Molly?"

Molly was standing, securely in Arthur's arms, near the middle over everyone, absently twisting a small piece of her red hair. "Dears, why don;t you both sit with the others. Arthur and I have some discussing to do." Molly instructed them.

As soon as they were seated, between Ginny and the twins, whispering picked up covering all possibly theories. Maybe there was a surprise, or perhaps Molly had found out about the twins' latest escapades and there was punishment? No, they looked too worried for that. So perhaps someone had been injured? Fred was just about to suggest that maybe all wizarding travel was down and they would be stranded in China, forced into labor to pay for Muggle transport when Arthur cleared his throat loudly and all the whispering ceased.

"No," Molly began," we are not punishing the twins...yet" she added as they both sprouted grins on their faces, "and no, Fred, we are not stranded here. And no, I can not yet read minds. Unfortunately, we heard earlier that Sirius has been convicted and sent to Azkaban for crimes against Harry." Her face was an unfortunate shade of flushed red and ill green and Ginny gasped, assuming the worse.

"No," Arthur jumped in, "Harry is fine...well, he's in proper care at least."

Hermione raised her hand, but lowered it quickly after remembering that she was not in school, "Does this have something to do with Harry's absence from school? He wasn't ill or being tutored separately was he?"

"No, he wasn't." When Hermione looked down to her feet, Molly quickly went to the poor girl. "Come now, dear. I don't want to see you blaming yourself for this. It was only sheer luck that anyone stumbled upon the truth in this case, you couldn't of known."

"I-I guess...Could we visit him though, just to make sure?"

Molly hated denying the girl she'd accepted as family of anything, especially something as deep as this, but there was no choice. "I'm sorry, dear. Unfortunately, because of what happened, Harry isn't up to seeing people yet. I doubt he will be for some time. But I'm sure that you'll be the first person he contacts when he is ready and he'll tell you everything. Until than, stay positive for him." she eyed the rest of her family, whose faces covered practically every reaction possible, "That goes for each and every one of you. Now, until he;s ready to see anyone, there is nothing we can do. School doesn't pick up for another two days, so you should try and enjoy them at least."

Even with bad news, sometimes just trying to be happy was good enough to help.

* * *

All Muggle and magical calendars alike failed to warn Harry just how quickly Sunday was to arrive

As the week drew closer to Saturday, Harry found himself more and more anxious. Sunday was the day he had set, with much suggesting from Draco, to finally contact his friends. Harry supposed, that since school had started up again, if he contacted them on Sunday he could probably get another week before they physically visited. He loved his friends, of course he did, and that would never, ever, ever change. But he also knew them too well. Hermione would reacted in a very emotional way that involved lots of hugging and late-night confession sessions. Ron would probably give him a pat on the back at most before ignoring the issue altogether. The twins would pull pranks and Ginny would approach and retreat and repeat.

It would be nice to know what had happened at school though. Now that Tom was gone, Harry wondered how the Houses were interacting. While Lucius had made deals with most of the professors to tutor both the boys, none of them ever spoke of Hogwarts or it's happenings. Hopefully some of the usual animosity has lessened some. _Don't get your hopes up_, that voice in his head went. Harry was beginning to hate that voice. It would pop up every now and then with a random comment or tip and it always sounded familiar, but he couldn't for the life of him place the voice.

And than Draco showed up, as he seemed to always do when Harry worried about the voice too much. In fact, Draco had hardly left Harry alone at all since he'd seen Sirius, but Harry couldn't find it in himself to dislike it. It was odd to think about it, but sitting around with Draco, chatting about whatever came to mind was somehow comfortable and _normal_ feeling. It felt no different than having a friendly conversation with a close friend in the Gryffindor common room...which was odd yet...nice.

"-ting, I could help." Draco had been saying something.

"Sorry, I missed that..."

"That's ok, Harry. I said, if you want help writing, I could help you. Lots of practice with politics and all that." he smirked ironically and Harry returned the look.

"I have no idea where to start at all," he admitted with a small sigh, "maybe I should just sign a paper and let them fill in the blanks."

Getting more comfortable in the couch that they were sharing, Draco stared at the ceiling a bit before slowly saying, "Maybe you should just tell them that. Tell them that your not sure what to say yet. It's not like they would be offended or anything, being Gryffindors and all that hu-rah loyalty that comes with them."

"Hey, I'm a Gryffindor too."

"Yes, and you would never be offended by a letter like that, would you?"

"No, I suppose I wouldn't be," Harry answered quietly, reached to the small coffee table for a quill and parchment. "I guess I could just write one too, they'll all probably be together when it arrives anyways."

"Really, that would start such a blood feud in Slytherin. I must say that you guys get off so much easier."

"Sometimes, yeah, we do. But if we ever put something before friends we would be toast. At least in Slytherin that;s expected." Harry said, but winced as soon as his mouth closed. "Sorry...I shouldn't of said that..."

"Don't worry about it," Draco waved it off, "you're pretty spot on anyways. We always put Blood Loyalties first. Direct family second, and then everything else. Ravenclaws have knowledge above all and Hufflepuffs have friendship. I suppose that's why we're sorted in the first place. To create bonds with similar people because they'll probably last longer."

"Never thought about it that way," Harry pondered between scribbling words of the parchment, "Don't you think that that's a little silly though. It created such boundaries between people in the end..."

"Yes, but most Wizards don't seem to think long term. Not in that way at least, though they probably should. So, how''s the letter coming along?"

The letter could hardly be called such. It had 5 lines on it in penmanship that a drunk, headless Blast Ended Screwt would put to shame. "Oh." Draco said.

"Yeah, I cant think of anything else though."

"Well, at least that explains the drawling on the edges. Is that a bird...of some sort?"

"It's a hat, Draco..."

* * *

A/N: I apologize greatly for the wait on this one and the fact that it's probably a bit choppy. Unfortunately, I have had to attend both a wedding and a funeral within the last month. Hopefully life will hand out breaks rather than work for the next while. The last three pages were all fueled by 5-hour energy, gods bless the hellish tasting stuff, and everything else was pasted together from my notebooks. But, I do like it at least. Still sorry for any spelling or grammar errors. R&R please and thankyou?


	5. Meetings and Normality

Subject: Harry Potter, Harry/Draco

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter franchise. This is a fan-made story of no value.

† † † †

Chapter 5:

Meetings and Normality

† † † †

It must be a Malfoy-Granger thing, to be able to learn stuff like this, Harry figured. After all, who else would spend their time at home, away from school, learning _Advanced Magical Theory as it Corresponds to the Third Axis of Reality_. "Draco, there's a third axis to reality?" he asked with his head still down on the open book that he had yet to decipher.

There was the telltale whispering of a page being turned behind him. "Yes, there is a third. If I recall correctly, and I probably am, I believe we're considered the sixth axis and there are fourteen or so. They flux so it's rather difficult to tell."

"And this third axis, it corresponds with our magical theory in some way?"

"Not at all."

"Than why is there a 700 page book on it?"

"To tell people that read it that there is no correspondence." Another page turned. "The ninth axis however, is completely different. Nearly everything we do and they do corresponds and vice-versa. We have whole series of volumes on that somewhere around here."

Harry hummed noncommittally, finally closing the book. After all, there was no reason to read it anymore.

It had only been in the last week that Lucius had organized their study sessions. Now, a good chunk of everyday was spent studying various subjects, most of them advanced ones too, even on weekends. Harry agreed though that it was better than being at school, which was Draco's steady reason for staying at the manor too. Seemed reasonable enough seeing as every year in Hogwarts' halls had always ended in near death and at least here he could avoid the newspapers and any clingy beetles. In fact, it'd been a while since he'd even looked at the Prophet. Yes, the nicely lit halls of the Malfoy Manor were preferable, even more so after each day passed and it became more of a home and less like an impossible maze of halls and rooms. "I don't think I can study anymore today." Harry mumbled, which was rewarded Draco's own book being tossed enthusiastically onto a table.

"Oh thank Merlin," Draco declared, "I've been waiting like an hour for you to say that."

"You've got to be joking...is this how you get such high scores, by out-studying everyone else? That's got to be an ego issue right? You might want counseling for that..."

"Of course its an ego issue, or have you already forgotten that I am, indeed, a Malfoy? Anyway, lets play something why don't we...how about some chess?" he asked after spotting the chess board that had been shoved haphazardly onto a book shelf.

He has already started blowing dust off of the marble slab and pushing school books aside when Harry answered "Sure," and took a seat opposite of him.

Harry was 5 losses and 2 wins in when Lucius entered, informing them both that their Hogwarts friends would be visiting the following day, both Slytherins and Gryffindors so they better work to keep peace least more classes be added to their schedules. Both boys agreed to do so, rather quickly, in fear for their free time.

"I continually forget how father can get sometimes," Draco said once Lucius was well our of hearing distance- luckily hearing charms were not used in the Malfoy's private rooms.

"I think you'd be the only person to ever think that," Harry laughed, "He is the head of the Malfoy family after all."

"Well, yes, I suppose that it true. But its usually more of a formality..." sighing at Harry puzzled look, Draco went on, "You have to have a public image, you know? If we acted like we do with people we're intimate with in public, we would never be taken seriously. Having a...public persona if you will, keeps the families honor and airs."

"But isn't it best to be yourself? If people can't respect you for that it should be their loss."

"It would be your loss, business wise initially but over time any respect you have will go too."

"Seems like lying."

"It is, a bit." Draco admitted with no hesitation, "but how often does the public want the truth? They claim to want it, but if they ever knew that Mother enjoyed physical work or that Father often 'confiscates' romance novels, well, they wouldn't _really_ like it. Their image for working with such un-pureblood behavior would go over horribly."

"You realize you just told me, right?"

"Yes, but you don't count. Also, checkmate, you really should learn to use your rooks more, Harry." He pointed out, earning himself a hard glare.

† † † † †

The fireplace that warmed the Gryffindor common-room was quietly lighting the room and the silent atmosphere that had taken hold there. It was Sunday morning and while most everyone was sleeping in, a small group had gathered. Remus, Hermione, Ron and the Twins all waited patiently, or not so patiently, for Professor McGonagall to arrive with the Floo Powder that would carry them to the Malfoy Manor to see Harry, hopefully without incident. After all, Floo Powder in Hogwarts was always a bit tricky. Hermione had spent quite a few minutes explaining how the fireplaces worked and how only the Headmasters were really meant to use it for travel. Eventually though, the silent glaring of the tired group convinced her to that it would probably be best to stop talking for the time being and she fell to looking over Harry's letter to her. It didn't say much in words, per say. The usual greeting, don't worry, everything's fine, doing well, hope the same for you format that everyone was familiar with. It was actually the borders that spoke. The insistent doodles and aimless ink lines of thought. None of them made visual sense, of course, but the way some lines were soft, accidentally made and others were pressing into the parchment with worried thought; it was all she needed to visualize him fretting over feelings he couldn't quite find the words for. If the years had taught her anything, it was that Harry Potter was certainly neither a wordsmith nor an artist.

The silence continued on for a long while after that, save for the twins who whispered secretively to each other, their hand making small, wild gestures that held no meaning for anyone else. The two were enamored with each other, obsessed with their topic, whatever it may be, so much so that when McGonagall finally did enter, the portrait door snapping shut behind her, both of the boys were jolted off of the couch they had taken claim of by their sheer shared surprise.

McGonagall predictably stared down at each and every one of the gather party a stern look before tossing the Floo Powder into the flames. "I expect all of you to return by curfew." She didn't need to elaborate and she didn't need an answer from them, everyone would follow her ordered, even Remus who, even as he led everyone into the fireplace, felt as if he were an awkward first year again in the Professors dominating presence.

It took only a few seconds for the telltale tunnel of green flame to spit them out into the exquisite atrium of the Malfoy Manor, where the twins eagerly took in everything they could, making mental notes as their eyes investigated every curve and corner they could find. Everyone else did their best not to gape at the massive pillars of white marble and ancient tapestries that told of various Malfoy stories. Only Ronald was having any success. His eyes were pinned to the ground as if even spying upon the Manor would somehow darken his magic.

Graceful footfalls cued them into the presence of Lucius.

He bowed shortly, "I welcome you all into my house as guests to be treated as such till you betray this houses trust."

"We welcome your trust with our own and shall not betray your trust least we open ourselves to your house's due revenge." Remus spoke for them all. He suspected that while the Weasley's would probably know of the formalities, Hermione probably did not. However- if the inquisitive light in her eyes were any indication- she would learn much on the subject as soon as time allowed.

"Then you are welcome," Lucius finished. "Mr. Lupin, I'm please you were able to make it here today, we have much that needs discussing." Once Remus nodded in agreement, the silver eyes turned to the children. "Mr. Potter and my son are in the back gardens if you wish to see him, which I shall assume that you do. I will have one of our House Elves lead you there." And with a well-practiced snap, a small elf appeared before Hermione could make any noise of protest. Any protests would have been futile though, she realized, as there was no to little hope of her navigating the Manor without the House Elf's aid.

"Oi, Hermione?" Ron had quickened his step to walk beside her, "any idea what you're going to say to Harry yet?"

She very nearly rolled her eyes at his simple question. "Ron, do you honestly think that this sort of thing could be planned?"

"Well...a bit. I mean, I can't see things being exactly the same..." Ron winced as two heavy arms fell on his shoulders. The twins had joined in.

"Ronny-kins, stop trying to think because-"

"-it obviously doesn't work for you." Fred and George said. Ron would never admit it, but telling them apart was never one of his strong areas.

"Bugger off," he snapped, shaking off their arms. "I'm just saying, this isn't small, right? He couldn't be the same, I wouldn't be. I just want to know if we should be..._delicate_ around him is all. We can't exactly open the conversation with: Hey, how was your summer...oh wait you can't remember it. Or do you think that would be a good ice breaker? I'd like to know weather to play or ignore the sympathy card."

"Ron, _dear_, you and me are going to have a small talk." Hermione said quietly. "Fred, George, you guys go ahead, I can call another House Elf when I'm done having some private time with Ron here." she said smoothly with a bright smile.

The two were quick to agree and rush off. Somehow every single female they were close to had a way of being razor sharp in the nicest way possible, and there was no way they would be around to witness this cutting, not when their brother looked completely oblivious to it.

"How come our brother is such an idiot?" Fred mused aloud as they near the gardens. It was nearly impossible not to smell the green that radiated stronger and stronger as they were led down various halls.

"I have no idea," George sighed, "but lets just be glad that we're geniuses."

"Agreed."

The gardens were wide and expansive, covering acres with pleasingly planned foliage and water or rock features which receded into a peaceful looking forest that brushed just against the edge of sight. "Wow," both the twins breathed.

"No wonder Malfoy was always so arrogant."

"And yet he's strangely nice outside of school," a voice added in from behind them.

Fred and George both lunged at Harry, tackling him to the ground. "It is an absolute joy to see you again."

"Yes and we've brought lots of toys for you to try out. "

"Perfectly safe of course."

"Oh, and the others should be along shortly." Fred- Harry could tell by that instinct that opinionated on everything he encountered- added in when Harry's eyes looked warily around, as if expecting anyone else present to join in the pile up.

"So how are you?" They looked Harry over as he laid dazed on the grass beneath them, scrutinizing the shade of his skin or the shine of his eyes or any other little thing that could possibly tip them off on his health. After it all though, he looked...good, actually, which neither of them had really expected, given the circumstances. And they did know the circumstances, of course. "Do you feel half as good as you look?"

"I suppose," Harry was able to gasp out, concern for his chest cavity collapsing under their pair's weight growing by the second. To his relief, both of them were quick to take notice and roll off and onto the fluffy grass.

George patted the grass as he turned on his side, head supposed by a free hand. "Only Malfoy's would have grass like this. It almost feels like that magically made Egyptian linen that we were able to nick, eh Fred?"

"Hmm, it sorta' does, yeah. Maybe we can nick some of this too."

As Harry surveyed the twins formulating another insanely wicked scam, he noticed that, even though he'd spent the days fully freaking himself out about everyone visiting, it had only taken the two a few minutes of normal- or at least normal for them- to make all of that self-preparation just dissipate and not matter anymore. Even if the world had tossed him out or of it was once again obsessed with him, the world didn't seem to include these two at least.

Of course, he knew that Hermione and Ron might probably react differently, and he certainly hoped they didn't, but having at least two people not change one bit was all Harry really needed.

Though, he hoped the twins didn't try to pull a trick. Somewhere in the shadows of the garden, Draco would be watching, Harry knew. He'd be constantly watching for any threat, be it magical or mental or physical.

It had been odd, when Draco had mentioned his plan to stay by and observe their guests and it had taken about an hour of pulling exceedingly pathetic excuses out of the air for Harry to finally just sit back and accept that there would, more or less, be a guard with him at all times. He didn't like that Draco wouldn't be spending much time with his friends, but he was still glad that Draco would be somewhere nearby.

"Come on, Harry, we brought some new candy for you to try. We've decided to let everyone _else_ traumatize you. Our job is to have fun." George leapt up from the ground, pulling a super-hero pose to prove his intent.

"Exactly," Fred put in, "and despite what people say, our products are _not_ traumatizing, they are fun. Isn't that right, bro?"

"Of course! It's willingly taken so it can't _really_ count as traumatizing."

"Excellent!"

† † † †

When Hermione finally arrived, followed by a determined, if not sullen, looking Ronald, Harry was a small, neon purple dragon. He wasn't alone either as two identical blue finches fluttered around him, diving in for light pecks before flitting away to avoid any possible singes of retaliation.

On the grass behind them, Draco Malfoy sat, his seeker-trained eyes following the finches every movement, just waiting for the moment one of them messed up and pecked a little too hard. It would be the perfect excuse to practice some new Hexes or perhaps he would even go for some Curses if the mood was right. It was always so hard to tell what the moment would bring.

As it was though, seeing Granger stare with her mouth opening and closing like a water-starved fish would make up for it.

Weasley didn't look like he even noticed the cause of her floundering.

"What-What is going _on_ here!" Granger drew her wand, quickly casting an impressive flurry of spells. With a small 'pop' the small animals had morphed back into their normal bodies. "Fred! George! I cannot believe—I just-two MINUTES and you can't even keep yourselves _human_! And Harry, honesty, you should know better than to eat anything the twins bring you. Have you learned _nothing_? I swear, I should-"

"Do nothing.," Draco stepped in, "except to stop your rants against Harry. But by all means, continue against these two..._fiends _if you wish. It is _quite_ amusing."

Harry must have mumbled something, if the eye-rolling Malfoy sent his way meant anything, but Hermione would never know. She was still trying to decipher what Malfoy had said. "While you work at find yourself again, I'll go entertain the rest of our visitors...they should be around here somewhere." Giving Harry one last debating look and everyone else a scathing warning, Draco swept out of the garden. They had both decided earlier that it would be best if they kept their friends separate...for the time being.

"You were right," Fred said, "He is nicer outside of school...weird."

"Better that than no change at all though," George quickly pointed out. Hermione sat herself on the ground next to Harry, looking at him in with a wondering, lost expression.

"Malfoy, he just defended you..against me..." Harry gave her a small pat on the back, nodding sympathetically when she sprawled out of the grass. "Merlin, it's like were in the ninth-axis or something!"

"You would know about that," Harry laughed. He didn't get far as Hermione glomped him excitedly. It was just good that she arrived _after_ the twins and not, say, on top of their pileup.

Despite her moment of confused introspection, she was beaming now, "Oh, Harry, I'm so glad we were able to come see you. A lot more people wanted to come, of course, but you have no idea how difficult it was to get Professor McGonagall to agree. She was insistent that we finish our first round of exams first. I mean I can see her point, I would defiantly be too worried about that to see you properly and the stress wouldn't of helped at all. Oh, right! Neville says hello and Luna too, she seemed a little out of it though but whats new about that. Oh! And Remus is here, did you know? I'm sure he'll see you-"

"Hermione! Breaths, they're not optional," the twins shouted over her happy ranting.

She smiled meekly at them, "Sorry, didn't mean to go off like that. I'm just so excited to see you, Harry, you have know idea. After we heard, we couldn't see you and no one was saying anything. But...I'm glad, you seem to be ok."

"I'm going fine, Herm, really. You would never guess, but the Malfoy's are almost normal really. They're good people."

"Malfoy's...good people?" Ron squeaked from where he'd been listening near by, waiting for a moment to speak, "OK, those words should defiantly not be going together. You sure all those memory charms are worn off properly?"

He got glares form the twins and a cuff on the arm from Hermione before Harry could intervene. "I would of never guessed it either, but trust me on this one, it's true. It's actually...fun being here...well, not the lessons so much, but still. It _is_ a home."

"Sounds like you're about ready to up and marry the Manor," George said with all seriousness, "where should we send the wedding gifts?"

Fred shook his head. "Bro, you can marry a _house_. That was be stupid. Now, if you're talking about if a Life-likeness spell is placed on a house, that's completely different."

"Of course that's what I was talking about. No one is stupid enough to marry a house without the right Personality charms. Wonder what the sex is life..."

"Probably like normal sex...just more chafing is all."

Harry, Hermione, and Ron all shared concerned glaces. "I'm not sure we want to know," Hermione put in quietly. The others agreed. But then again, there was a lot about the Twin's that no one should ever want to know, no matter how many hexed treats they threaten you with.

† † † †

"And so he'll be staying and studying here with me for at least the remainder of this year. I haven't brought up returning to Hogwarts yet." It was in the Manor's main Library that Draco had decided to have this conversation with his friends. Not all of them, of course, only the trustworthy. Which, in the end, had come down to Pansy, Goyle, and Blaise. Crabbe just wasn't good with keeping secrets recently as he'd recently found that gossip was a great way to land girls. So it was just the four of them, sitting somberly in a circle within the shaded room.

"I see," Pansy was the first to process his story and respond. "Well, this is actually explain quite a bit if I do say so myself. I can't say I don't pity you though, Potter has no real bloodline education. I wonder how he'd react to the Blessing Bowl."

"Probably not well," Draco answered mournfully. "I don't get the feeling that he's truly a 'well, if an ancient heirloom predicted it why not?' type of person anymore...But, I'll have to tell him eventually."

Everyone agreed. After all, everyone knew that Harry was someone who built himself upon trust and companionship. Sure, trust had taken a hit recently, but that was certainly no reason to throw it out the window. Even Slytherins had their own brand of trust; though it was shown less to others. It was a tighter, more binding type than most people had. But it also lasted longer.

Blaise was next to speak up, "I'll agree with Pansy. This won't be easy though I cant help but be a little jealous. My family's Blessing Bowl has yet to even ripple."

"Quick question," Goyle cut in, "But as I've understood, you two have...well you know, pretty much hated each other from day one. And yes, trust is important, but I think getting along is a bit more immediate."

"Haven't you been listening," Pansy tossed her hair, "They've been getting along just fine these last few weeks. They're both more mature – no offense meant Draco- then ever."

"None taken."

After that, there was nothing more for them to cover on the topic, so they simply fell back on talking about school, lessons, and family. The usual gossip flowed back and forth across the circle for sometime before an elf popped into the room, announcing that it was indeed time for them to return.

† † † †

End Chapter 5:

Meetings and Normality

† † † †

Last Will: Haha...yeah, doubt you thought I existed anymore. It has been like...6 months...yeah. I'd say sorry but honesty, if I had written it would have been crap. Not that this is a miracle piece. I simply have a lot of emotion at my fingertips to be spent on writing at the moment. So, don't know when the next chapter will be out, but I can certainly get one more out before school returns to kill my remaining spirit.


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